Women's Lacrosse

NEW YORK (May 7, 2018) – The Skyline Conference on Monday announced the postseason awards and All-Conference Teams for the 2018 women's lacrosse season and a total of six Mariners were honored, including two major award winners, and sixth-year head coach Kyle Simensky was selected as the Skyline Coach of the Year. Junior Meredith Willard (Portland, Maine) earned Offensive Player of the Year honors, while classmate Jessica Reilly (Sayville, N.Y.) garnered Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

Willard, Reilly and five other Mariners were selected to the All-Skyline First Team. Recognitions also went to junior Maura Malone (Yorktown, Va.) at midfield, senior Rebecca Bessler (Kent, Wash.) and sophomore Chelsea Chamberlain (South Setauket, N.Y.) at defense and junior Hannah Gizzi (Finksburg, Md.) in goal.

Willard leads the Mariners and the Skyline Conference with 95 points on the season on 72 goals and 23 assists, and was recently named the Skyline Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Throughout the season, she was named Skyline Player of the Week twice and landed on the Skyline Weekly Honor Roll once. Willard ranks in the top-25 in the nation in three categories – eighth in goals per game, ninth in points per game and 18th in total goals. This is her second career All-Conference accolade, as she was Second Team All-Landmark after her freshman season in 2016, when she was also named Landmark Rookie of the Year.

Reilly ranks second on the Mariners with 80 points and is the team-leader in draw controls, groundballs and caused turnovers. She ranks first in the Skyline in caused turnovers and second in the conference in groundballs and draw controls. Throughout the season, Reilly was named Skyline Player of the Week twice and landed on the Skyline Weekly Honor Roll three times. She ranks in the top-27 in the nation in four categories – fifth in caused turnovers per game, 10th in groundballs per game, 25th in goals per game and 27th in total goals.

Malone takes the Mariners' draw controls and has been solid at midfield defensively as well as offensively. In the Skyline, she ranks 10th in caused turnovers, 11th in draw controls and 14th in groundballs. Malone is second on the team in draw controls and third in points, goals, assists, groundballs and caused turnovers.

Bessler has been a four-year fixture and a big part of the Mariner defense that ranked first in the Skyline and 12th in the nation in scoring defense. Bessler helped hold 13 of 15 opponents to single-digit goals this season. She helps the transition game with her speed, which helps spark the offense (and she has contributed four goals herself). She is tied for fourth on the team with 31 groundballs.

Chamberlain helped anchor the Mariner defense that ranks first in the Skyline and 12th in the nation in scoring defense. She is an instrumental part of the clearing game thanks to her great speed and was part of the defense that held 13-of-16 opponents to single-digit goals.

Gizzi earned her third-straight First Team All-Conference Goalie recognition of her career. The junior has the best goals against average in the Skyline and ranks 11th in the nation in the category. She is second in the Skyline and 52nd in the country in save percentage and has held 13-of-16 opponents to single-digit goals this year. Gizzi is also a great at causing turnovers and picking up groundballs, as she ranks third in the Skyline in GBs and sixth in the conference in CTs.

Merchant Marine will kick off action in the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championships this Saturday, May 12, when they will take on Meredith College. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Salisbury University's Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury, Md. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Women's Lacrosse Schedule Page.

2018 Skyline Women's Lacrosse Postseason Honors

* Offensive Player of the Year: Meredith Willard, USMMA** Defensive Player of the Year: Jessica Reilly, USMMA*** Rookie of the Year: Julia Tuohy, Farmingdale StateCoach of the Year: Kyle Simensky, USMMA (sixth season)

Receive USMMA Women's Lacrosse News Right To Your E-Mail!If you would like to receive the latest news on the USMMA women's lacrosse team, including all press releases, send an e-mail to Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Joe Guster at gusterj@usmma.edu with the subject "Women's Lacrosse E-Mails."

Follow USMMA Athletics On Social Media!Be sure to follow USMMA Athletics on social media to get up-to-the-minute updates on your favorite teams! Start following today on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!